Gemini Observatory: Exploring the Universe, Sharing its Wonders

New Telescope Gives Astronomers a Clearer Vision of the Universe

June 25, 1999

At a ceremony on Mauna Kea today, astronomers revealed some of the
sharpest infrared images ever obtained by a ground-based telescope.
These first high-resolution images from Gemini North reveal the
remarkable power of the telescope's technologies, which minimize
distortions that have blurred astronomical images since Galileo first
pointed a telescope skyward almost 400 years ago. The clarity of these
images is equivalent to resolving the separation between a set of
automobile headlights at a distance of 2,000 miles!

The images were unveiled at the dedication of Gemini North, one of the
largest telescopes in the world, near the summit of Mauna Kea on the
Big Island of Hawai'i. Built by an international partnership of seven
nations, it is the first of two 8-meter telescopes that together can
explore the entire northern and southern skies in optical and infrared
light. Its twin, Gemini South, is under construction on Cerro Pachón in
northern Chile. They are expected to obtain unprecedented optical and
infrared views of stars, galaxies, and the most distant outposts of the
known universe.

"By combining resources, this international partnership has produced
world-class instruments far more powerful than would have been possible
for individual countries," said Canada's Jean René Roy, chairman of the
Gemini Board. The United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Chile,
Australia, Brazil and Argentina are participating in the $193-million
project, with almost half the funding coming from the United States.

The Gemini telescopes incorporate new technologies that allow large,
relatively thin mirrors to collect and focus starlight with
extraordinary precision. At infrared wavelengths, these technologies
make it possible at times to achieve even more clarity than is possible
with the Hubble Space Telescope. The observations will help astronomers
make major advances in answering questions about how stars and planets
form, the structure of the Milky Way and other galaxies, and the age
and evolution of the universe.

"Gemini's innovative optics and thermal controls give these telescopes
a significant edge in studying the universe using infrared light," said
Matt Mountain, director of the international project. "The results
we've seen today give us confidence that the risks we've taken will pay
off for ground-based astronomers by providing extremely sharp images.
This will allow us to look back in time to the most distant galaxies
and even detect the trembling of individual molecules around newly
forming stellar systems."

Gemini North is expected to start scientific operations by mid-2000,
and Gemini South about a year later. Public funding will ensure that
the telescopes are accessible to a broad range of astronomical
researchers and students. Images and data from the Gemini telescopes
will be available to astronomers around the world through sophisticated
computer technology and the Next Generation Internet.

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) funds almost half of the
Gemini project and acts as the executive agency for the international
partnership. Each partner country contributes significant scientific,
technical and financial support. The Gemini Observatory Project is
managed by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy,
Inc. (AURA), a non-profit consortium of 29 U.S. institutions and five
international affiliates.

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Note to editors: High-resolution versions of the infrared images
obtained by Gemini North and digital photographs of Gemini North and
Gemini South will be available on the World Wide Web at 5 a.m. Hawaii
time (11 a.m. EST) on June 25. The images may be found at the following
sites:

The Gemini Observatory is an international collaboration with two identical 8-meter telescopes. The Frederick C. Gillett Gemini Telescope is located on Mauna Kea, Hawai'i (Gemini North) and the other telescope on Cerro Pachón in central Chile (Gemini South); together the twin telescopes provide full coverage over both hemispheres of the sky. The telescopes incorporate technologies that allow large, relatively thin mirrors, under active control, to collect and focus both visible and infrared radiation from space.

The Gemini Observatory provides the astronomical communities in six partner countries with state-of-the-art astronomical facilities that allocate observing time in proportion to each country's contribution. In addition to financial support, each country also contributes significant scientific and technical resources. The national research agencies that form the Gemini partnership include: the US National Science Foundation (NSF), the Canadian National Research Council (NRC), the Chilean Comisión Nacional de Investigación Cientifica y Tecnológica (CONICYT), the Australian Research Council (ARC), the Argentinean Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Productiva, and the Brazilian Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação. The observatory is managed by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. (AURA) under a cooperative agreement with the NSF. The NSF also serves as the executive agency for the international partnership.